


Presumed Dead

by DRXC0MXLF0Y



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Animagus Draco Malfoy, Auror Harry Potter, Cat Draco Malfoy, Fake Character Death, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Protective Harry, Sad Draco Malfoy, Sad with a Happy Ending, Slow Burn, Soft Harry Potter, sorta - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-21
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-12 19:40:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28890753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DRXC0MXLF0Y/pseuds/DRXC0MXLF0Y
Summary: Auror Harry Potter has a case on Draco Malfoy.It's to be said that he's been murdered.But hey, there's a lovely white cat that Potter meets along the way of a crime scene.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter
Comments: 2
Kudos: 33





	Presumed Dead

_Ding_!

The elevator notified Potter it was his stop. With silent apologies to people, he had to squeeze by to escape the cramped elevator, he finally stepped out. The Auror let out the breath he was holding the entire trip down. A hand ran its way down his face after removing his signature glasses. He was just lucky enough to have a lunch break on his own. Or _any_ kind of break for that matter.

With cases piling in, many scenes he had to Apparate to, without a doubt Harry Potter was growing tired and stressed. With spare minutes, he took a coffee to go. Opening the door to his personal office, he noticed the large stack of files upon his desk. Case after case.

Settling his coffee down with one hand, he motioned towards the files neatly off his desk with the other. Wandless magic. It saved so much time for the dark-haired boy. There weren’t many things he was capable of doing but cleaning without withdrawing his wand spared him.

Circling around his desk to sit down, Potter finally embraced comfort with pleasure. His office was fairly quiet. Only the sounds of a clock ticking echoed. It’s not long until one of his colleagues would barge through the door with another case or on-sight investigation. Who wouldn’t want the famous _Harry Potter_ to help them find their lost kid or help with their break-ins? He was only one of the top Aurors. No doubt people had high expectations of him.

He would disappoint many people if he couldn’t figure out a simple case.

Green hues flickered over to the clock.

So, it begins.

His lunch break was officially over.

Taking a sip from his coffee, he savored the warmth that pooled down onto his stomach. Another sip after another, until-

“Mr. Potter-“

Spluttering, the coffee spilled on top of papers and Harry himself. Of course, it burns. Thankfully, with a flick of his hand and a silent _Scourgify_ , the coffee was no more. Save for the burn.

The colleague cringed slightly, sheepishly smiling.

“So sorry. There’s a task for you. I know you just got off break, but Kingsley says it’s quite urgent.”

Politely settlings the folder onto his desk, they turned and closed the door on their way out.

Just before his eyes, he saw the words slowly appear in front of the folder. In bold letters, it stated _Magical Law Enforcement_. _Case #56001D_

Opening the file, his eyes wandered to certain keywords.

 _Murdered_.

 _Suicide_?

_Malfoy Manor._

_Draco Malfoy._

Murdered? Malfoy?

This can’t be serious.

Kingsley assigned him to a case that dealt with Malfoy. Draco Malfoy. _The_ one and only. The photo of Malfoy in the folder moved delicately. It was an up-to-date photo of him. His eyes looked cold and tired. Potter could easily notice the dark circles under his eyes. His skin undoubtedly had gotten even paler than he already was. He wasn’t even sure that was even possible. For a moment, they locked eyes. Tensing, Potter shut the folder immediately.

He tried to shrug it off.

It was a live photo. There was no way Malfoy would be making eye contact with him. But it still caused his stomach to do a somersault. Suddenly, he regretted drinking coffee, now to assume he was going to throw it up.

Blowing out a sharp exhale through his lips, his fingers slid through his unruly hair. Potter didn’t want to think back at the times he had during Hogwarts. Nor he wanted to step foot into the Malfoy Manor. It carried such a dark, tragic past that he didn’t dare want to think about.

Draco Malfoy was _dead_.

No, it’s only assumed he was. This is a fresh case. Perhaps it was all just a mistake.

Potter was wasting time.

Wallowing in the past wasn’t going to save Malfoy.

The boy who brought him down. Not only Potter but Hermione and Ron as well. Anyone who dared to stare in his direction. The icy glare he’d give the other students who weren’t a Slytherin. He’d stare daggers right at Potter every day and he chose to ignore it. With a single peep from him, Malfoy would go off like a ticking time bomb.

Yet, he was always bark but never bite.

He liked the drama. The attention.

Only to save his reputation.

It was just a layer of protection to not show his real self.

Potter grabbed his coat and Apparated to the Manor.

\- ☞ ✎ ☜ -

There were already Aurors on sight.

With a deep breath, he started to stride towards the front step.

Until a silver, perfectly hygienic cat swiveled beneath his legs and rubbed against him.

“Hello there.”

Potter crouched down to almost level with the stray.

Was it a stray?

This cat looked highly elegant. Almost as elegant as the peacocks the Manor had to offer. The cat fits perfectly with it. Did they always own a cat? There wasn’t any sign of ownership. The fur looked so smooth, and the eyes were a perfect shade of grey. If he didn’t know any better, Potter would say the cat is Malfoy’s twin.

The sounds of small _purrs_ snapped him out of his thoughts.

“You shouldn’t be here. It’s a crime scene, actually.”

A small mewl.

“Do you belong to Malfoy?”

The cat had gone silent.

A beat.

Then a _hiss_.

“That’s a no, then?”

Reaching out to pet the cat, within a flash, the cat made a beeline towards the front gate and away from Potter.

“Brilliant. I scared it.”

“Harry, you’ve made it!”

That voice belonged to none other than Ron Weasley. He flagged him down from inside the Manor.

Painfully, he took small steps until he reached the front door. Suddenly, a wave of nausea got the best of him. Twisting his features, he finally stood inside the Manor.

In and out, Potter.

Just here for the reports, details, and possibly soon-to-have interrogations.

Then this case will be out of his hair.

Yet, the question of what happened to Malfoy lingered in his mind.

“Bloody hell. This whole thing is a mess. Thought I’d show you the worst of it, mate.”

With a nod, Ron stepped over many marked items laying unattended. And Potter followed suit.

Leading them both down a hall, they made it to Malfoy’s study.

“Just in there. Not a pretty sight, that is.” Ron motioned towards the room.

Turning into the room, there laid a Malfoy on the ground. Next to him laid a knocked-over chair with a brightly colored sign with a number next to it. His desk was highly unorganized, which Potter found odd. Everything seemed like Malfoy was frantically getting something done. It was unlike the blond to have an unorganized area. Being all tidy and fancy, this was making Potter uneasy. His lunch was going to make its way back up in no time.

The sight of his body laying on the ground at such an odd angle was another story.

His grey hues no longer had the icy stare. His silky blond hair was no longer tamed. It was far from perfect. It stuck up in every direction, even covering his forehead and partially his eyes. 

Potter wanted to brush his hair out his face. 

“I thought it would be some sort of Death Eater thing. Figured they’d be after his kind, maybe his family, even. He was probably the only bloke home. Found it was good enough and left.” Speaking nonchalantly, Ron leaned against the doorframe, purposely avoiding to stare at the body. "Dark Magic? Harry, he was a Death Eater. This is some hate-crime."

Squatting down, Potter pressed two fingers against Malfoy’s _cold_ throat.

No pulse.

He took a moment to settle Malfoy's eyes shut.

 _He's resting_ , as Luna would say.

Draco Malfoy was really _dead_.


End file.
